Hand lawn-mower



No. 609,709. Patented Aug. 23, I898. C; L. SHONVLE:

HAND LAWN MOWER. k umion filed on. 14, 1896.) (No Model.) s Sheets-Sheet l.

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A LIA No. 609,709. Patented Aug. 23, I898.

' C. L. 'SHDNLE.

HAND LAWN MOWER.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1896.

No Model.)

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No. 609,709. Patented Aug. 23, I398. C. L. SHONLE.

HAND LAWN MOWER.

ion filed Oct. 14. 1896.)

(Applicat (No Model.)

NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. snoNL or TUsooLA, ILLINOIS.

H A ND LAW N-lV lOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,709, dated August 23, 1898.

I Application filed October 14, 1 89 6.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit kn own that 1, CHARLES L. SHONLE, of Tuscola, in the county of Douglas and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand Lawn-Mowers and I do hereby declare the following to'be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hand lawn-mowers; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be particularly referred to hereinafter and especially referred to in the claims.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a simple reciprocating-cutter lawnmower in which all of the working parts are absolutely inclosed, so that the cut grass or dirt cannot clog or interfere with it in any respect.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lawn-mowerembodying my invention complete. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the single casing for the housing, the brace, and the reciprocating-bar mechanism. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the'clutch for the driving-pinions on opposite ends of the drive-shaft. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the means for clamping the pitman to the reciprocating knife-rod. Fig. 7 is a detached enlarged view, partly in section, of the key or clutch for making fast the drive-shaft central gear-wheel to the shaft and for throwing it out of gear when desired. Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the support for the knife-bar and the knife-bar, the same being inside plan view of the two parts. Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional View through the knife-bar and its support, taken on the dotted line 9 9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is an enlarged detached perspective view of the pinion and clutch.

1 indicates the drive-wheels,which are journaled upon studs or bearings 2,proj ectin g outward from the plate 3, which latter form shields for closing up the drive-wheelsl'at their inner sides and also form a support for the mechanism, as will appear further on.

Serial No. 608,851. (No model.)

The drive-wheels are provided on the inner side of their laterally-projecting flange with a cog-gearing 4, which, through the medium of a pinion 5, actuates the driving-shaft 6. This pinion 5 is formed upon or as a part of a clutch 7, having inclined walls 8,with which spring-actuated pins 9 engage. These springactuated pins are seated in a plate 10, and this plate 10 is keyed to the drive shaft through the medium of a transverse pin 11. When the machine is moving forward, the drive-wheels actuate the pinions 5 at each end of the drive-shaft 6, and the straight portions of the inclined walls 8 of the clutch 7 engage the spring-actuated pins 9 and posi tively rotate the drive-shaft 6. WVhen the drive-wheels are rotated in the opposite direction, as when turning or in pulling the machine backward, the pinions 5 revolve loosely upon the shaft by forcing the springactuated pins back in their seat, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The plates 3, which, as before'stated, serve to close the drive-wheels 1,have cast or formed as a part thereof housings 12, and the inner ends of these housings 12are provided with laterally-extending flanges 13,bolted to opposite sides of a housing 15. The housing 15 is madein two parts, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and3, the part 15 being bolted to the part 15 through the medium of the perforated ears 17, through which clamping-bolts 18 pass.

Situated within the housing 15 and upon the drive-shaft 6 is a drive-shaft gear 18, which is loose upon the shaft and held from endwi se. movement thereon by means of a collar 19 at one side of the wheel, and at the opposite side of the wheel is a collar 20, which is made fast to the drive-shaft, and this col lar 20 is provided with a clutch or locking pin 21, which serves to lock the wheel 18' to the drive-shaft, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 7. The removable side of the housing 15 is provided with a door 22, through which access can be had to the locking-pin 21 for the purpose of unlocking the wheel 18 from the drive-shaft, so that the entire mechanism will be thrown out of gear when desired.

The drive-shaft 6 is journaled in transverse webs 23, formed in the housings 12, so that it will be seen that the circular plates 3, which close the drive-wheels 1, form a a support through the medium of the housings for the drive-shaft.

Cast as a part of the housing is a downwardly-extending arm 24, having a spherical portion 25, and extending outward in a horizontal line from the opposite side of this spherical portion is an arm 26, which is formed also as a part of the housing 27. This housing 27 incloses the mechanism for reciprocating the cutter-bar and is provided with a transverse perforated web 28 to support the reciprocating cutter-bar rod29, placed therein, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The arms 24 and 26 are made hollow, as shown in Fig. 3, the arm 26 at its opposite end being provided with hearing for a shaft 28, carrying at one end a beveled gear 29, meshing with the gear 18 of the drive-shaft 6, and said shaft carrying at its opposite end a universal connection or joint 31, connecting it with the adjacent end of a short shaft 30. The opposite and outer end of the short shaft 30 carries a wrist-wheel 31', to which one end of a pitman 32 is connected in the usual manner, the opposite end of the pitman 32 being journaled upon a pin 33 of a sleeve 34. This sleeve 34 embraces the reciprocating rod 29 and is secured in place thereon through the medium of a screw 35, passing through the pin 33 and clamping the sleeve, as clearly represented in Fig. 6. The head of the screw 35 serves to hold the adjacent end of the pitman in place upon the pin 33, as isalso shown in said Fig. 6.

Attached to the lower side of the housing 27 is a cutter-bar support 37, having at its opposite ends short central longitudinal ribs 38 and a short central rib 39; also, at its ends it is provided with the inwardly-extending short rib 40, extending parallel to the central rib 38, which moves in corresponding grooves in the cutter-bar 41 and prevents the said bar from being detached from its support until the bar is moved endwise sufficiently to disengage the grooves and the ribs, when it can be readily detached, as will be understood. The inner side of the cutter-bar 41 is provided with the short portions 42, which are provided with central 1ongitudinal grooves 43, which receive the short central ribs 38 of the cutter-bar support. By means of this construction an easy-working and simple cutter-bar support is provided and one which is entirely closed against the admission of particles of grass, dirt, &c., the amount of movement of the bar being covered at the ends of the cutter-bar support by the rearwardly-extending portions 43 of the cutter-guard 44.

The spherical portion 25 is made hollow, as shown, for the reception of the universal joint 31 and is provided with a door 32, by means of which access can be had to the same for the purpose of uniting and connecting the joint.

From this description it will be seen that the housing 15 is supported at one side through the medium of the arms 24 and 26, and the housing 27 is supported by the housings 12, which are made as part of the plates 3, and as an additional support and brace a rod extends across between the plates 3 and passes through a socket 51 upon the said housing, as clearly represented in Fig. 1. This serves to brace the entire machine and to make it firm and rigid. The opposite side of the housing 27 from the arm 26 is supported through the medium of a brace-rod 53, having its opposite end connected to the adjacent plate 3, as represented in Figs. 1 and 3.

The handle 55 is connected at its lower end to the arms 56,which in turn are bolted to the sides of the plates 3, and by means of which the machine is operated in the usual manner.

At each end of the housing 27 I provide adjustable Wheel-supports 58, so that the distance of the cutter-bar may be regulated from the ground at will.

From the above description it will be seen that the entire machine' is inclosed, so that none of the mechanism .whatever is exposed to be clogged up by the cut grass, which is a common difficulty in the usual mower in which the parts are exposed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A lawn-mower comprising the drivewheels, the plates 3 at the inner side thereof, a drive-shaft extending through the plates and provided with pinions which engage the gear-wheels, an intermediate gear upon the drive-shaft, a housing for the intermediate gear,shaft-housings connecting opposite sides of the gear-housings and the plates 3,the gearhousing having a forwardly and downwardly extending arm supporting a mechanism for reciprocating the cutter, a brace-rod extend ing between and connecting with the plates 3, the said brace-rod attached to the housing for bracing and supporting the same,substantially as described.

2. A mower comprising the drive-wheels 1, the plates 3 having integral therewith the inwardly-extending housings, a driving-shaft extending through the housings and through the plates provided with pinions engaging the drive-wheels, a housing situated between the inner ends of the shaft-housings and united thereto, the said intermediate housing inclosing the gear and made in two parts for the purpose described, one part of the housing having a rigid arm extending downward and outward and supporting a mechanism for reciprocating the cutter-bar, and an operative connection extending through the said arm and between the drive-shaft gears and the reciprocating cutting mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' CHARLES L. SHONLE. WVitnesses:

OHAs. S. OVERMAN, WILLIAM GRAS.

IOC

IIC 

